24 Hours in Advertising: Friday, Dec. 12, 2014

Here's everything you need to know about the last 24 hours in advertising, in case you blinked.

Buzzing on Adweek:

Best Buy's Serial Twitter blunder

In the latest episode of brands stepping their foot in it on Twitter, Best Buy tweeted about the murder case featured in popular podcast Serial in a rather insensitive way. (Adweek)

Hollywood director creates a moving PSA for elephants

Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow created a shocking, animated public service announcement entitled "Last Days," showing how the killing of elephants has affected people as well as elephants. (Adweek)

Air Wick connects a soldier with his family

The heartwarming ad from Droga5 connects a soldier overseas with his wife and six kids by sending him specially made candles that smell like home. (Adweek)

MeUndies pushes marketing boundaries

The Los Angeles-based underwear delivery service has approached advertising in a number of edgy ways from running ads on a porn site to sponsoring a football player caught stealing underwear. (Adweek)

The best product launches of the year

From Taco Bell's Waffle Taco to Subway's Flatizza, these are the most memorable new products of the year, according to a survey conducted by Schneider Associates and Sentient Decision Science. (Adweek)

Using big data for good

PR agency Edelman is partnering with Cambridge University to study how the use of big data impacts the trust of a consumer. (Adweek)

Around the Web:

Sexist Santa stars alongside swearing princesses

In the latest rendition of the potty-mouth princess videos, a sexist Santa Claus delivers girls lame presents to illustrate sexism in society. (Mashable)

Omnicom launches programmatic consulting team

Manning Gottlieb OMD, an Omnicom-owned media agency, launched its own three-person programmatic consulting team to help advertisers cut through the confusing programmatic space. (Digiday)

Downy encourages 'ripping clothes on'

A new spot from Downy, which appropriately aired during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, encourages people to rip their clothes on and enjoy the softness of Downy. (Business Wire)

Mobile will continue to explode

By 2016, over 2 billion people will own smartphones, and by 2018, roughly one-third of the population will. (eMarketer)

Patagonia sells jackets with reverse psychology

A recent holiday email blast from Patagonia told shoppers not to buy a jacket, and it ended up boosting sales and email open rates. (Media Post)

BETC launches a pop culture agency

The Havas-owned agency announced plans to form the BETC Pop agency, which will focus on planning events and producing content focused on food, music, fashion and more. (Brand Republic)

BBDO N.Y. finds the real monsters under the bed

A PSA for Sandy Hook Promise asks parents how they protect their kids from imaginary threats, like monsters under the bed, and how they protect them from real threats, like gun violence. (Agency Spy)

Industry Shake-Ups:

Taco Bell sends digital responsibilities elsewhere

After drawing some major attention for its social black-out stunt, Taco Bell decided to shift its digital responsibilities away from DigitasLBi to Deutsch. (Agency Spy)

Mindshare takes on Nordstrom media account

After a review, Nordstrom awarded its media account to WPP's Mindshare in Santa Monica, Calif.(Adweek)

Macy's shifts its multicultural account

Macy's awarded its multicultural marketing account, which spends about $40 million annually, to the New York-based Walton Isaacson. (Adweek)

DigitasLBi hires new chief content officer

Scott Donaton will take on the new North America chief content officer role for DigitasLBi after working as UM's global chief content officer. (DigitasLBi)